Finger guard for sewing machines



FINGER GUARD FOR SEWING MACHINES F. DAMIANO Filed April 16, 1940 Inventor frank fiamz'aiza w A iiorney i sition by a set screw 9.

may be adjusted upwardly and downwardly on Patented Oct. 21, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

FINGER GUARD FOR SEWING MACHINES Frank Damiano, Newburgh, N. Y.

Application April 16, 1940, Serial No. 329,975

1 Claim. (Cl. 112-261) This invention relates to a finger guard for sewing machines of various types, and has for the primary object the provision of an efficient and inexpensive device of this character which may be easily installed on the stem of a presser foot of a sewing machine for movement therewith and may be easily adjusted into an operative position about the needle of said machine to prevent the operator from getting any one of the fingers or thumb into the path of the needle and consequently obviate any possibility of the operator being injured by the needle and may be easily moved into an inoperative position entirely clear of the needle so .that threading of the needle may be easily carried out and other adjustments to said needle and associated parts without interference by the device.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of myinvention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure l is a rear elevation illustrating a fragmentary portion of a sewing machine including a presser foot and needle mechanism with a needle guard associated therewith and constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating the finger guard.

Figure 4 is an end view of a thread cutter.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral 5 indicates a presser foot of a sewing machine and 6 the needle of said sewing machine. The presser foot includes the usual stem 1 on which the present invention is mounted so as to be movable into and out of the path of movement of the needle 6.

Secured 'on the stem I of the presser foot 5 is an adjustable split supporting collar 8 held in po- The supporting collar the stem 1 to meet with conditions of properly mounting the present invention for operation in conjunction with the needle 6.

The collar 8 includes hinge barrels to receive a hinge pin 9 acting to support on said collar a finger guard l and a thread cutter II. The

by a portion of the cutter I l for securing the pin against displacement.

The thread cutter ll includes a cutting plate I2 having a V-shaped notch I3 formed in the upper edge thereof. The cutter further includes a bottom plate l4 integral with the cutting plate I2 and has its end portions bent at right angles thereto and extending upwardly at the ends of the cutting plate l2 and terminating in a plane thereabove to form guide elements I5 for the purpose of guiding a thread into the cutting notch l3 of the cutting plate. One of the guide elements l5 engages the grooved end of.the pin 9' and may be flexed therefrom when desiring to remove the pin 9'. The apertured ear rests upon the top face of one of the hinge barrels of the supporting collar 8. as clearly shown in Figure 1.

The finger guard l0 consists of a, grill-work l1 formed integrally with a supporting arm Hi. The free end of the supporting arm which is positioned laterally of the grill-work is provided with a barrel Hi to receive the hinge pin 9' thereby mounting the arm for hinging movement on the supporting collar 8. The cutter is secured to the barrel I9 by means of a lug l6 soldered or welded to the barrel as well as to one of the guide elements l5. One portion of the arm I 8 is arcuately curved, as shown at 20. Secured to the arm l8 substantially intermediate its ends is a metallic strip 2| including an arcuate shaped portion 22 to coact with a portion of the arm and the curved portion of the latter in providing to the finger guard an upper rim of substantially U shape. A portion of the strip 2| extends I at right angles to the arm l8 and forms a spring hinge pin 9 has a grooved end to be engaged catch 23 to engage with the stem 1 of the presser foot for retaining the guard ID in position about the needle 6 to prevent a persons fingers from coming into the path of movement of the needle. The catch23 is capable of flexing so that whenpressure is placed upon the arm 18 or the finger guard, the latter may be swung away from the needle by the catch 23 riding off the stem 1 of the presser foot. When the guard is in the latter-named position the needle 6 is freely exposed to permit threading thereof and other adjustments. When the guard is positioned to protect the operator from the needle it overlies the presser foot and within the confines of said presser foot. It is to be noted that one side of the guard is fully open which will permit the guard to be readily swung into operative and inoperative positions with respect to the needle.

While it has been stated and shown that the guard is of grill-work construction, it may be of a solid transparent construction it so desired.

It is believed that the foregoing description, when taken in connection with the drawing will fully set forth the construction and advantages of this invention to those skilled in the art to which such a device relates, so that further detailed description will not be required.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

In a finger guard for a sewing machine needie, a supporting arm having a compound curvature and an arcuately curved end portion and a second end portion of a hinge barrel shape, a strip secured to said arm and including right angularly disposed end portions and one of said end portions coacting with a portion of the arm and the arcuately curved end portion of said arm in forming a guard rim of substantially U shape,

,a guard construction open at one side formed on FRANK DAMIANO. 

